G i l b e r t f



l dilated (lteres GLLBERTF. TAYLLoaor NEW vonKjN.,Y,Y

Letters Patent No.J 92,226, Vdated July 6, 1869;v

IMPRovBD CARPET-smeren The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ot the lame. l

To all whom it may conce/rn: i v

Y Be it known that I, GILBERT F. TAYLOR, of the city, county, and State ot' New York, have invented a new and improved Carpet-Sweeping Machine; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear,

and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification.

lhis invention relates to a new and improved carpet-sweeping machine; and

It consists in a novel arrangement of gears, in'connection with a friction or traction-wheel, all, arranged,

l relatively with thc rotating brush of the machine, in

such a manner as to obtain a very important result, as hereinafter set forth. y

In the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of my invention', taken in thelinc a: x, fig. 2.

Figure 2, a plan or top view ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures. Y

Carpet-sweeping machines have hitherto been constructed in three different ways, as-regards the means employed to drive the rotating brushes. In some machines, friction-wheels solely have been employed for lsuch purpose. Inothers, beltsr or bands, -inconnection with a traction-wheel; and, in others, again, gears, in connection with a traction-wheel, have been used.

Vith the two former modes I have nothing to do,`

as they are essentially different from my improvement. I would merely state, however, that they do not givel general satisihction on account of the friction-wheels, in the first-mentioned instance, soon becoming inoperative or inefficientfrom wear, and lthe belts or bands,

in the second-mentioned instance, beingliable'to getv loose, and failing to operate the brush. The thirdmentioned instance, the gearing/I will briefly allude to, as my present invention is an improvement upon that.

On one end of the rotating shaft of the brush, there is keyed, or otherwise secured,- .a pinion, into which a toothed wheel gears, the latter being at one side (the inner one) of a wheel, which has a smoothperiphery, and rests upon the tlooror carpet, so that it will get its motion by friction ortraction, as the machine is shoved along.

This friction or traction-wheel is larger in diameter than the toothed wheel, which is attached to or cast with it, so that the latter will be above, or free from the door or carpet, and not interfere at all with the free motion ofthe friction or traction-wheel.

This latter wheel is placed infront of the'A axis or shaft of the rotating` brush, (see patent granted to Hiram H. Herrick, September 6, 1859,) and, as the machine is supported by this wheel, at one side, which wheel is near the front part of vthevbox which contains the rotating brush, the latter, when the machine is in f use, orislbeing shoved along, is raised and lowered,

vibrated, up and down, under the unsteady motion of the hand of the operator, and, the consequence is, that the carpetis not perfectly swept.

traction-wheel in aline or plane in front o f the shaft or axis ofthe rotating brush.

My invention consists in having the friction or traction-wheel immediatelybelow or underneath the shaft of the rotating brush, the axis of the former coinciding with or being in the same vertical-plane with the axis of the latter, the friction or Lractionwhecl having a toothed wheel at its inner side, the latter being smaller in diameter than the former, and gearing into a pinion on the shaft ofthe rotatingV brush. 1. By this arrangement, which willbe hereinafter fully shown and described, the friction or traction-wheel is made to sustain the wh'ole weight of the box or case in which the operating-mechanism is placed; or, at least, one side of said box or case kbears uponV the axis of said wheel, and sufficient traction insured to operate the rotating brush at all times, wl1ile`-the latter, in consequence of having its axis directly' over and in the same plane with the axis of the driving-wheel, is never rendered inecient in consequence of being raised above the carpet under an unsteady motion of the hand ofthe operator.

To enable those skilled in Ithe art Yto fully understand and construct my invention, Ilwillproceed to describe it. I

.A represents the ease vor box, in which a rotating brush, B, is placed, and allowed to turn freely.

l -On the shaft a of-this brush, near one end thereof,

there is firmly keyed, or 'otherwise secured, a pinion or toothed wheel, C, into which atoothed wheel, D, gears, the latter being of equal diameter with G, or largerthan the same, as desired.

4The wheel D is permanently attached to or cast with a wheel, E, which has a smooth, periphery, and is larger in diameter than D, so that the latter will be above or free from the fiooror carpet.

The wheel D is, 'at the inner side of E, concentric, ofcourse, therewith, and the axis of the wheels D E is in the same plane withthe axis or shaft a of the rotating brush B,`the wheel D being directly underneath the wheel 'or pinion C, and the shafta of the brush being in the same plane with the axis of -D E, said plane, whenthe machine .is in use, being in a vertical or nearly vertical position. A

By this arrangement it will .be seen, that when the machine is in use, the weight of the case or box A,

.atone side, is supported by the friction or tractionwheel E, and the latter is thereby made to have suficient traction to drive the' brush B, the rotation of the latter being insured at all times.

I would remark that the brush B should have such Y .a position as regards height, that its bristlesV will acteliiciently upon the carpet, and when the brush is thus properly' adjusted, lit is allowed to remain so until This is an iny p l evitable rcsultof havingvthe axis of the friction or u its diameter is reduced by wear, when it should be lowered to a proper position, so that it may operate as before, lthe journals of the shaft or axis a being tted in bearings, so arranged as to admit of that being done. I

In using the machine, t-he rotating brush B will always beat the proper height. lt cannot vibrate, or rise and fall, Vso as to be above 'or free from the tloor or carpet at any time. The handle of the device will, of course, vibrate, or move up and down under an unsteadyvmotion of the hand of the operator, but without affecting in the least the position of the brush, as the shaft or axis of the latter serves as a fulerum for the box or cas A to work upon.

I would remark, that in my invention, a loose roller is placed on the shaft a of the brush B, at the left; hand side of the box or case, to support that side of the latter, and a roller, thus placed, has been used also on the machines arranged with gears in the old way, as shown in Herricks patent, previously alluded to. But a roller, when Vapplied to this last-named machine, does not improve it at all, as the friction or traction-wheel is then liable to be raised from the door or carpet by a very slight depression of the handle of C D, the upper one, O, on' the axis of the vibrating brush, being permanently keyed, or otherwise secured, on the shaft L of the rotating brush and the other wheel, D, being attached to or cast with a friction or traction-wheel, E, when said gears are placed, one drectly over the other, and with the axis of the rotating brush in the same axial plane, having a vertical or nearly vertical position, substantially as andvfor the purpose herein set forth. l

`GILBERT F. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

A. R. HAIGHT, A; J. KNIGHT. 

